Overheard outside Michigan State’s locker room: Unacceptable and an excuse

EAST LANSING – It was a win, but far from the goal Michigan State was looking for.

The Spartans (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) nearly squandered a 21-point halftime lead while holding on for a 24-17 win against Purdue (1-10, 0-8) on Friday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

The win keeps Michigan State in the hunt for bowl eligibility, with a win at home against Rutgers (6-4, 3-4) next week needed to earn a 13th game.

Here are notable quotes from coach Jonathan Smith and players after the game:

Smith on outscoring Purdue 24-3 in the first half before being outscored 14-0 in the second half: “Obviously happy to find a way to win a game. Sort of a tale of two halves.”

Quarterback Aidan Chiles on the offensive performance in the second half: “I don’t want to say how we played, but we didn’t play well.”

Smith on starting tight end Jack Velling, who was carted off the field after taking a violent hit in the first quarter: “I spoke to him on the phone in the dressing room a little while ago. In hospital, thorough, precautionary things, but he was in good spirits, he was able to watch the game, but I don’t have anything definitive.”

Chiles on the pass attempt that resulted in Velling being injured: “It was a kill-shot ball and it’s on me. … I wish I could take it back, but I’m really sorry.”

Smith on Michigan State’s offensive struggles in the second half: “They showed us a couple of pressure shots that we didn’t handle very well, and then there was just some execution missing.”

Linebacker Jordan Turner on the defensive performance after halftime: “We have to finish better in the second half. Unacceptable.”

Smith on running backs Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams (18 carries for 85 yards) and Nathan Carter (a touchdown run and touchdown catch): “I really thought both of those guys played pretty well tonight.”

Chiles remain in the hunt for a bowl game: “It means a lot. I feel like we should have been here a long time ago.”

Receiver Montorie Foster on the message before the final offensive possession to run out the clock: “Really just do your job. It’s that simple. It’s not something we need to overcomplicate.”

Chiles on fourth-and-1 sneaks up to pick up a first down before kneeling out of the clock: “It really wasn’t a conversation. It was like we had to win this game.”

Smith on a secondary decimated by injuries: “We play a lot of different guys out there. We’ve had guys go down, we’ve got youngsters in the game and they kept scratching and scratching and we’ll need that again next week.”

Safety Nikai Martinez on relying heavily on young defensive backs: “You always have to be ready no matter what. Who would have thought we would have had to go that deep, but we had to and in the end they were ready and I was happy.”

Smith on defensive tackle D’Quan Douse, who was on the field for pregame warmups but didn’t play because of injury: “We were optimistic that he might be able to do it before the game, but he couldn’t. Hopefully next week.”

Turner clings to victory: “We really needed this win but it’s a sloppy finish. We expect to finish better, especially when one of our main themes this week was consistency in execution.”

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